The Evolution of a Miracle
by RamblesAndThoughts
Summary: AU The members of the Generation of Miracles are part of the original Training Squad during the first Titan attack. Set in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The Evolution of a Miracle

**Summary: AU **The members of the Generation of Miracles are part of the original Training Squad sent out during the first Titan attack. Set in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe.

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Angst, drama, romance

**Major Characters & Pairings:** Aomine Daiki/Momoi Satsuki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise Ryouta, Akashi Seijuurou, Kuroko Tetsuya

**Warning:** Violence, blood, cursing, psychological breakdowns, mentions of death

**Author Note:** I tried to keep everything as canon as possible, but I took creative liberties in changing certain things for the sake of the story. Some of the quotes that I will use later on are from the manga, so there might be some spoilers. I don't own any of these characters.

PART I

Aomine yawned.

He blinked wearily at the crystal blue sky as he scratched his head; the fog of sleep still clouding his mind. His 3D maneuver gear lay uselessly in a metal heap next to his sprawled body—not that he ever planned on using it again after next week. Aomine smirked, thinking of the coming days. Easily one of the top scorers in every exam, he knew his acceptance into the Military Police was a given.

A life of security and of privilege.

He liked the sound of that.

Brightened by this thought, he hummed a soft tune to himself, and crossed his arms behind his head. A gentle breeze ruffled his navy hair every now and then. He closed his eyes once more, basking in the warm sunrays of this beautiful April day.

But like always, his peace was short-lived. Just as he was almost lulled into a light sleep, a shadow loomed over his sprawled frame and blocked out the sun. Aomine swallowed a groan. Even with his eyes closed, he already knew who the culprit was. The familiar scent of cherry blossoms only confirmed his suspicions. Peeking up at his childhood friend, he felt the familiar coils of irritation beginning in his stomach as his earlier serenity evaporated. He mustered his ugliest scowl and bored his eyes into her.

A lesser person would have tremble under the intensity, but Momoi merely narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists in response. Her 3D maneuver gear clanked as she shifted her stance to point an accusing finger at her idiotic friend.

"Where the hell were you today, Dai-chan? You're missing all of the new exercises Harasawa-san prepared for us."

Aomine trailed his sapphire gaze on the smudges of dirt and debris clinging onto her face and clothes.

"Not interested," he deadpanned as he turned to his side, and yawned. "Besides, those exercises are useless for me. There's no point in practicing all the time when the others can't even keep up." Aomine yelped suddenly when Momoi smacked him in the back.

"What the hell, Satsuki? I'm trying to sleep here!" Aomine grumbled while trying to snuggle into his arm. He knew that his uncooperative behavior wouldn't deter her at all. But at the same time, he prayed to whatever deity out there for her to leave him alone. He shut his eyes again, and mourned for the loss of his earlier peace.

Momoi heaved a deep sigh. She rubbed her temples. Normally she would just bother Aomine to submission, but today's training took a taxing toll on her mind and body. Taking a moment to calm the raging storm in her head, she looked out from the rooftop.

_At least he has a knack for finding good hiding places, _she thought.

From where she stood, the entire Shiganshina District lay beneath her. She watched several of the merchants below lead wagons of new imports from the inner walls to the town market. Children loitered aimlessly as their parents purchased goods. Momoi liked watching people during this time of the day— with the noon sun shining brightly upon them.

A couple of rowdy boys played kick ball by the corner of the street, and Momoi smiled with nostalgia when one of them feinted the defense. The carefree style of play reminded her of Aomine when he was younger – all cheeky grins and exuberant shouts. She looked beyond the town and her gaze stopped short at Wall Maria.

Towering at around fifty meters, Wall Maria was their only protection against Titans. Everyone living in this area already knew this—that any sort of breach in the Wall would mean the death of most, if not all, of the people living here.

She shook her head to get rid of these ugly thoughts. The Wall hasn't been breached for nearly a century.

"Satsuki?" Momoi startled when she heard Aomine's husky voice. She had assumed he had fallen asleep again. She raised her eyebrows in question; her earlier annoyance had already dissipated.

"Yes, Dai-chan?"

Aomine continued to stare at the birds soaring above them.

"Have you given any thought to which division you're going to join?"

Momoi's eyes widened in surprise before turning her gaze to the birds. She tapped her index finger on her lower lips as she thought of a response. Honestly, she had already made up her mind, but she was not sure how well he was going to take it.

"I was thinking the Survey Corp." she said after a beat of silence. Aomine snapped his eyes to Momoi. She stared back with an unreadable look on her face as Aomine's gaze hardened.

"What?"

Jumping to his feet, he crossed the distance to his childhood friend in three long strides. Momoi sighed quietly, knowing that this conversation cannot be put-off any longer. Steeling herself, she straightened her back and looked straight into Aomine's stormy blue eyes.

There, she saw his warring emotions.

Rage.

Worry.

Disbelief.

And oddly enough…guilt.

He gripped her arms—exasperated because he swore that this girl will one day be the death of him. She can't be serious! Who in their right minds would join the Recon Corps? It's practically a death sentence. He searched her eyes.

_Maybe this is a joke. Some stupid joke she's playing on me because there's no way—_

Momoi smiled sadly. This entire time, she had not uttered a single word. Yet she continued to look at him with a soften gaze, as if she knew that he would come to understand her decision eventually.

Aomine's heart tightened. After twelve years of friendship, he knew her like the back of his hand and this…this was non-negotiable. The irritable ache in his chest became a full-blown panic. Because, as annoying as she can be sometimes, he knew that he could always count on her to stand at his side.

She's Momoi Satsuki.

She's family.

And the thought of her cold and dead made him want to kill someone.

"Why?" he gritted out. "You're in the top ten of our year. You have other options."

There was no mistaking which option he wanted her to pick. Momoi sighed, and Aomine dropped his arms in defeat.

"And do what? Be trapped inside more walls? Aren't you sick of it?" Aomine stared at her with a hurt look, but she steeled her resolve and continued. "Do you remember why we joined the Training Corps all those years ago?"

His body tensed, and Aomine immediately averted his eyes.

"You said you wanted to see the waters. Not the little rivers or the ponds we have, but the ocean, like the pictures in the books. Do you remember how excited you were when you saw those red critters? You promised that you would catch one for—"

"—So what?! You're basing your decision on some childish promise we made years ago?" He couldn't believe this. She was willing to throw away her life for some far away fantasy. His anger came back in full force. "Grow up, Satsuki! People die in those recon missions all the time, and you'll be lucky if you even survive the year!"

Momoi bristled.

"And how is being in the Military Police any better? You're locked in _for life_. What's the point if you're just going to rot away in a castle forever? At least I get to see the part of the outside world."

"And what good would that be if you're dead?" Aomine's body tensed with rage. His mind flashed back to his earlier memories in the Training Corps —a time when he was happy and shared Satsuki's wanderlust. But those innocent times were now distorted with memories of wounded men, bodies with missing limbs, and grossly disfigured corpses.

And he'll be damned if Satsuki became part of that statistics.

"You're not joining." He said with finality. Momoi gaped at him for two seconds before gathering her wits.

"Who the hell are you to tell me that? If I want to join the Survey Corps, you can't stop me—"

"— Fine! But if you think I'm just going to stand here and watch you throw away your life for some stupid childhood dream, you got another thing coming! Why don't you just get out of here if you're so set on killing yourself? Don't ever show your ugly face around here again!"

Aomine regretted his harsh words the moment they left his lips and saw the tears pooling in Momoi's eyes. Her breath came out in small huffs, and her tiny frame shook with violent emotions. But before Aomine can take back his words and apologize, Momoi drew her hand back and slapped him. He barely felt the sting of the slap—too busy trying to stay afloat from the guilt and desperation churning uncomfortably in his gut.

"What the hell is your problem, you ganguro! See if I care!"

Aomine's eyes widened.

"Satsuki, O-Oy…" He reached for her, but before he could grab her arm, she released her grapple hooks and, in a few moments, became nothing more than a dot in the distance.

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Aomine can't recall how long he had been staring at the birds above him. Sprawled on the rooftop, he watched as the leaves rustled from the light breeze. The deep grumbles of his stomach reminded him that it has been hours since he had last eaten. He felt a sharp pain in his chest at the thought of lunch—no doubt Satsuki's original intention of finding him involved getting food (aside from scolding at him for a bit for missing training).

He sighed. His mind returned to the fight for the thousandth time.

He admitted that he had done a lot of shitty things in the past. In his fits of anger, he has a habit of speaking without thinking first. But she knew that. And each time, Momoi had forgiven him. So this time shouldn't be any different.

_ Right? _

Aomine scratched his head. He considered finding her right now, but knew that she needed time to cool off for a bit. As far as his mistakes went, this was probably his worse one to date.

He sat up. Running his hand through his cobalt hair, Aomine decided to give Momoi a few more hours to cool off before finding her tonight. He grabbed his 3D maneuver gear, and right after he had locked the equipment into place with the intent of finding food, a flash of light followed by a loud crack resonated throughout the district. A huge wave of wind rushed from Wall Maria –blowing debris and shattering the glasses of nearby stores and homes. Aomine cursed as he grabbed onto the railings when the impact of the vibration caused the old building to creek dangerously. Below him, people screamed as some fell over.

"What the—" Aomine stopped short when he saw smoke arising from the top of the Wall.

Two beat of silence passed.

He heard people's low muttering, but Aomine kept his gaze locked on the Wall. Suddenly a red hand—the size of a building—sliced through the air, and swept away all of the weapons on top of the Wall before slamming down on the stone. The people in the streets stared in shock as the Wall buckled and deep crack lines appeared.

Aomine's breath grew shallow as slowly, the head of a Colossal Titan appeared from behind the Wall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **The Evolution of a Miracle

**Summary: **AU The members of the Generation of Miracles are part of the original Training Squad sent out during the first Titan attack. Set in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe.

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** Angst, drama, romance

**Major Characters & Pairings:** Aomine Daiki/Momoi Satsuki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise Ryouta, Akashi Seijuurou, Kuroko Tetsuya

**Warning:** Violence, blood, cursing, psychological breakdowns, mentions of death

Towering at roughly sixty meters, the Colossal Titan's entire face and body were made up of pure muscles and tendons. Steam hissed out from its nostrils before it slammed the other hand onto the top of the Wall. The Titan's white teeth clenched with effort as it began to push.

"It's trying to break the wall…" Aomine said in daze. The rapid drumming of his heart and the whooshing of his blood almost drowned out his own voice. His whole body felt cold as a heavy pressure descended upon the District.

"T-Titans! It's them!"

"They're coming!"

Mobs of people began to shout. But like Aomine, no one moved.

Instead, they all stared like the helpless sheep they were.

The Colossal Titan hunched its back, and lowered its head as it gripped the Wall. Flexing back a leg, it delivered a powerful kick that thundered throughout the District. Pieces of the Wall crumbled from the force, and Aomine fell backwards as the shock of impact rippled throughout the ground.

Stones began to break off from Wall Maria—crushing the civilians and destroying buildings. People screamed as large chunks of debris continued to rain down, and suddenly, the entire District was in a state of emergency.

A couple of people were trapped underneath the pillars and the large pieces of stone, but no one paid any attention to them. Parents and family members yelled in distress for their kin. And around them, everyone began to panic, and started to push their way through the crowds.

But in the midst of this mayhem, Aomine was aware of only one thing.

There was now a giant hole in Wall Maria.

Smoke steamed from the site, and an evil glint was seen before the face of a seven meter class Titan emerged from the shadows.

"IT'S THE TITANS!"

"THEY BROKE THE WALL!"

The screams grew louder as everyone began to run in all directions.

There were no more thoughts of family or friends.

A small child stood in the middle of the frenzied mob—openly sobbing because he couldn't find his mother. And a couple of yards away, an old man fell, and was trampled to his death as others fled for safety.

It was chaos personified.

More Titans began to emerge. Their loud footsteps and the cries of civilians resonated throughout the town as many Titans started to pick people off.

A shiver ran up Aomine's spine when he realized that his and Momoi's families were also at risk. And this thought immediately jolted him from his paralysis.

He jumped onto the railing, and released his grapple hooks—intending to check on their families. But just as he was about to release his gas mechanism, the shrill scream of a girl stopped him in his place.

The girl couldn't be any older than him—looking barely sixteen at most. Shaking and sobbing like mad, she cowered at the base of his building while begging a three meter class Titan to leave her alone. Her cries increased in intensity as the monster began to reach for her. A sinister glint passed through its eyes as its lips curled up in a sneer.

Aomine cursed, knowing that he can't just leave this girl to die. Turning slightly in his position, he released the gas mechanisms, and allowed the momentum to carry him forward. At the last moment, he shifted left to make a huge arc behind the Titan. It paid him no attention. He unsheathed his twin swords and, once he was within range, made two deep cuts across the nape of the Titan's neck.

Blood gushed out from the wound as the Titan groaned, and fell forward. The girl screamed again when the body hit the ground with a loud thump. But before either of them could say anything to each other, another Titan came rushing at them; this one a lot bigger than the previous.

It ran at a weird angle—trampling a couple of the smaller Titans as it sprinted. Two large arms flopped uselessly around its enormous body, and the head shook from side-to-side as it foamed around the mouth.

Aomine scowled, thinking that was possibly the most retarded Titan he has ever seen.

His cobalt eyes shifted to the girl—who was still sat in the corner, staring dumbly at the approaching Titan.

"Why are you still sitting there?! Run!" He yelled. She snapped her gaze to Aomine as if she has just noticed his presence. His words finally hit her, and she scampered off.

Aomine focused his attention back to the Titan.

Tightened his grip on the blades, he released his grapple hooks and swung up. He propelled his body forward—opening himself once he reached the highest altitude before releasing his grapple hooks again, and spun through the air. Dodging and weaving through the Titan's outstretched hands, Aomine teased the monster while trying to find an opening. He shot another wire, and feinted left. Thinking that it had him now, the Titan opened its mouth.

Aomine smirked.

At the last moment, he shifted his weight to his right—causing the Titan to stumble forward from the unexpected change of direction. Making use of its current confusion, he shot his grapple hooks to the Titan's neck, and sliced a deep gash across the back.

The Titan fell forward in slow motion, and Aomine watched with a look of disgust as the corpse began to steam.

As he shook off the excess blood from his swords, he surveyed his surroundings. The Titans were now coming in huge numbers from the hole. Although he had saved that one girl, he watched helplessly as Titans around him continued to reach for humans, and devoured them. He tightened his grip on his swords—conflicted between wanting to help them, and finding his own family.

Two more Titans took noticed of Aomine; one was a ten meter class and the other was a seven. Aomine crouched down—waiting for them to get closer before attacking. But just as he was about to release his grapple hooks, twin slashes of blood appeared from behind the Titans.

The two beasts slowly fell forward.

Aomine frowned in confusion until he saw a flash of yellow and green.

"Hey, Aominecchi! Need any help?" Kise grinned as he landed on top of the Titan's head with an easy grace. He shook his bangs out of his eyes. Meanwhile, his sword dripped with the Titan's blood as he stepped away from the corpse, and began to head towards the shocked cobalt-haired teen.

Midorima landed next to the blond with a less dramatic entrance. He wore his characteristic solemn expression as he pushed his glasses up. His hands were blood-stained from killing Titans.

Aomine bristled at Kise's question, now that his shock has worn off.

"I had everything under control!" He yelled at the smiling blond man, feeling his blood pressure beginning to rise at the thought of having to deal with these two. Then, something clicked. "Wait, why are you guys here? Where's the Survey Corps? Where's the reinforcements?"

Midorima glanced at him from the corners of his eyes. His lips were drawn down in a small scowl, annoyed that he had to put up with this fool.

"We are the reinforcements." Aomine's eyes widened slightly. "Many of the Survey Corps members were away on a Recon mission this week, so we were sent out as a last resort." He sighed suddenly, as if explaining this to Aomine was a huge nuisance. "We were told to eliminate as many Titans as possible but—" Midorima looked at the hole in the Wall before continuing, "—given the current situation, I'm assuming we just have to hold them off long enough for all the civilians to be evacuated instead."

He gave Aomine a pointed look, and a heavy silence descended upon the three as all had understood what was unspoken.

Aomine can never go home again after today. He gripped his blades tighter.

Was his family even alive anymore? Was Satsuki's?

Suddenly, Aomine had another frightening thought.

"Satsuki." Kise and Midorima's eyes widened in surprise. "Was she part of the reinforcement?"

They both nodded, and Aomine cursed under his breath.

Midorima took one long look at Aomine's tensed posture and, barely suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape him, knew what he had to do. However, he couldn't manage to fully contain his eye roll. It was no secret to anyone in the Training Corps that he and Aomine simply did not get along. After all, they were both in the Top Five of their year. And considering that their work ethnics and fighting styles were polar opposites from one another, there was no question that they would clash very frequently.

But in competing against him for the past three years, Midorima has come to understand Aomine's personality very well—much to his own personal disgust. And he knew that, in this moment, what Aomine Daiki wanted the most was also something that he could never bring himself to ask for outright.

_Stupid boy_, Midorima chided. _You are so transparent._

But he guessed that he can play along with the game. If anyone questioned him later, he would simply say that it was for Momoi's sake. After all, she was always nice and friendly to everyone in the Training Corps—even if Midorima himself has given up trying to understand what she saw in this ill-tempered, brash boy.

"Why don't do you go find Momoi? Last time we saw her, she was heading towards her house. Kise and I can take care of this area." There. He was giving him a way out.

Kise nodded enthusiastically at this suggestion, and Aomine gave Midorima a look of suspicion.

A long silence passed.

Midorima wanted to throttle him as his own irritation built. Why the hell was he taking so long to say yes?

"Fine. I guess I'll leave it to you guys," Aomine said reluctantly after a few seconds elapsed. "Just don't die," he added as an afterthought.

Midorima scoffed. This time, he didn't even try to hide his eye roll.

"Don't be absurd. I have my lucky item with me today." He held out a small, green frog stuffed animal in the palm of his hand—ignoring Kise and Aomine's perplexed looks. "There's nothing to worry about."

Having said his piece, Midorima turned, and began walking towards a three meter class Titan at the neighboring street.

Kise turned back to Aomine, and smiled encouragingly.

"Don't worry," he said. "Midorimacchi and I got this." He gave Aomine a thumbs up and a wink as if to prove his point. Behind him, the three meter class Titan fell as Midorima delivered a clean cut. Despite his dislike of this guy, Aomine had to admit that the green-haired teen did have high accuracy when it came to killing Titans—although, he would much rather cut off his own tongue than to ever acknowledge this out loud.

"Alright, I guess I'll be going now." Shaking off the weird feeling that he had from this entire conversation, Aomine released his grapple hooks, and began heading east in full speed.

Kise watched as Aomine's person gradually became smaller as the latter put more distance between them. Then, he strolled over to Midorima, who was still studying the Titan. The corpse sizzled as it decomposed. Kise whistled in appreciation when he saw the straight, clean cut on the back of the neck before hanging one arm around Midorima's shoulders.

The latter immediately tensed, and gave Kise a weird look. But the blond man only smirked lazily.

"That was really nice of you."

Midorima jerked at the unexpected compliment—pushing Kise's arm away as he suddenly averted his eyes. The tip of his ears had already started to feel warm.

"What nonsense are you prattling on about?"

Kise chuckled. Amusement glinted in his eyes as he took in Midorima's flushed face. But he dropped the subject.

"Anyways, Midorimacchi, let's see who can kill more Titans! We can make it into a game!" His topaz eyes sparkled now with the prospects of a competition. Midorima walked away— ignoring Kise's request, and his background whining.

He pushed his glasses up.

His face burned with mortification.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:**AU The members of the Generation of Miracles are part of the original Training Squad sent out during the first Titan attack. Set in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe.

**Genre:** Angst, drama, romance

**Major Characters & Pairings:** Aomine Daiki/Momoi Satsuki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise Ryouta, Akashi Seijuurou, Kuroko Tetsuya

**Author's Note:** A couple of the quotes from this chapter were taken out from the manga - so slight spoiler warning :)

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Inside an alley, a Titan picked up an empty barrel.

The middle-aged man hiding behind it whimpered pathetically when the Titan grinned down at him. He hugged his knees closer to his body – rocking as he began to chant prayers. His incessant babbling got louder and faster when the Titan slowly extended a hand, and tears streaked down his face as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Suddenly, the Titan roared.

Startled, the man screamed as well. His heart raced a thousand miles a minute – beating so violently against his ribcage that he wondered if his heart would explode out from his chest. It wouldn't matter to him if it did.

In fact, any other form of death would be preferable right now.

Keeping his eyes shut, the man listened as the sound of metals clashed around him. The sickly sound of sliced flesh reached his ears, and he cringed when a heavy weight suddenly slammed down on the ground and caused the Earth to shake.

For a few seconds, only the sound of his harsh pants was heard as everything else had gone quiet. Finally, he pried one eye open. Without the Titan blocking the sun now, the harsh light streaked into the alley and momentarily blinded the man with its brightness. He gaped in shock when he saw the befallen monster, now sporting a large gash across the nape of its neck. He stared stupidly at the corpse, and would most likely have continued to do so had something not caught his attention in the far end of the alley.

In the exact spot where the Titan had towered just moments ago, a young man now stood.

Beams of sunlight streaked through his red tresses and basked him with a soft glow – giving him an ethereal and an otherworldly appearance. Despite the stranger's slight frame, the man sensed a quiet power radiating from him and, due to this, he immediately lowered his eyes in respect.

"Are you God?" he asked. His heart drummed – only this time, it was out of reverence and in awe that his pray was possibly heard.

Akashi Seijuurou watched with an impassive expression as the man made the Sign of the Cross on his body. He turned to leave – ignoring the man's cries of thanks and his grateful sobs.

Waiting outside of the alley, a purple-haired teen sported a slight look of disgust on his face. Poking his blade at the muscles of his own Titan-corpse, he wondered if this mission was really as pointless as it seemed. All the Titans were so weak.

"Murasakibara."

The bear of a man stopped his prodding. He looked at the crimson-haired man with a lazy expression – his eyes drooped in boredom and his lower lip jutted out in a slight pout.

"You finished already? You're so fast, Aka-chin~" Tilting his head upward to stare at the sky, he exhaled a longing sigh. "I'm so hungry."

With the chaos that now surrounded Shinagawa District, it was hard to fathom a time when, just barely an hour ago, everyone was still basking in the tranquility that was this beautiful spring day. Instead, half of the town was now in shambles as random explosions repeatedly went off and the desperate cries of civilians continued to fall on deaf ears. More and more Titans piled into the District limit. And around them, the stench of death hung heavily in the air.

Murasakibara watched as a Titan devoured another civilian in the far distance. His attention suddenly diverted. Even from where he stood now, there was no mistaking who the person was, given the hazardous movements and the sharp, unpredictable turns. He watched as Daiki plowed his way through a small army of Titans congregated at one area. Barely stopping in between killing one before effortlessly transitioning into his next line of attacks for the second, the blue-haired teen shaved off nearly of the work for the nearby Survey Corps members.

He cocked his head – curious on why Daiki would be here seeing as how he wasn't even a part of the reinforcement squad.

"What is Mine-chin doing here?"

Akashi followed his gaze. His red eyes tracked Daiki's fluid movements as the latter sliced through another Titan before dodging the blows of the last remaining one. A light brown-haired Survey Corps member delivered a quick-release shot at the back, and the Titan soon collapsed into an undignified heap on the ground.

He turned away after seeing that. There was no point in watching any further. Walking towards the neighboring street, he heard Murasakibara's heavy footsteps falling in line behind him a few seconds later.

"He lives in this district," he said in response to the other's earlier question. "Most likely he's heading home right now to check on things."

His partner yawned. But before the giant teen could respond, the pair heard a loud crash. A two meter class Titan leaped out from the shadows – its jaw snapping open and shut in rapid successions as it headed for the two with the speed of a bullet. Grossly disproportional in physique and lumpy-looking, it was by far one of the smaller Titans the pair had come across thus far.

Akashi dodge, but Murasakibara heaved an aggravated sigh and remained rooted in his spot. At the last moment, he crouched down, bared his hands out in front of him, and caught the Titan by sides of its mouth.

Akashi's eyes widened as he watched the two clashed from above a rooftop. But the look of surprise was short-lived as it quickly became replaced by a calculating expression. Never in his life would he expect a human to match a Titan in brute strength.

_Interesting._

A faint smile crossed his lips as he watched the battle with no intentions of helping out anytime soon.

The Titan thrashed. It pushed Murasakibara back with its wild movements, and the latter immediately dug his heels into the dirt to make up for the lost ground. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he let out a mighty roar before crouching down even further. With a sudden burst of energy, he used the unbalance of the Titan to his own advantage and threw the ugly beast off of him. It crashed into an abandoned shed nearby – taking down two supporting beams and destroying an entire wall as the fallen debris continued to rain down.

Endlessly amused, Akashi chuckled from behind his hand.

"Why didn't you dodge?" he asked when he finally had his mirth under control. Murasakibara growled and began to step towards the shed. He drew his swords.

"Because it was pissing me off." A dark glint passed through his eyes, and Akashi sat up straighter – intrigued. "Looking so weak and still challenging me, _I just want to crush all of them."_

Without another word, he stepped through the hole. Broken pieces of glass and stone crunched underneath his boots and it wasn't long before he was swallowed up by the darkness.

The wind blew and scattered dust and debris.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck prickled, and Akashi glanced to his left from the corners of his eyes. He slowly reached for his swords when, out of nowhere, the building exploded.

Chunks of stones and glass flew out in all direction – impaling everything within a thirty meter radius. Black smoke rose into the air, and Akashi cursed when he finally reeled himself out of the smog. His eyes watered and his lungs burned as he coughed. Gritting his teeth, he surveyed the damages the explosion had caused as he sliced through the air.

With a frustrated growl, he realized that he had been entirely too careless.

Even a tenth of a second delay in his actions would have meant his death right now, and he felt his anger flared as he searched for the Titan responsible.

A huge leg suddenly kicked through the smoke when he was in mid-swing. His eyes widened when he realized that the Titan had used the smoke as a screen, and he immediately cut his swing short and fired another wire. His muscles screamed from the sharp turn. But when he looked behind him, he saw that the Titan had impaled through an entire building with its powerful kick.

This was the first time that Akashi got a clear look at his attacker.

Although the Titan towered at ten meters, there were almost nothing impressive-looking about it. It was on the skinny side with its droopy arms and thin neck. A haggard expression marred its face, and wild locks of hair grew out from its pasty scalp as it turned in his direction. Yet, the frail appearance of its upper body juxtaposed greatly with the powerful and lean muscles of its lower limbs. It flexed. The muscle fibers and tendons coiled with energy as it prepared itself for another mid-air kick.

Akashi growled and snapped his head forward. He accelerated his speed, but the Titan was slowly gaining grounds. Briefly, he wondered why the monster only targeted him as other humans failed to catch its attention in its mindless pursuit of the redhead.

_An Abnormal?_

That was possible.

Yet, something about the way the Titan had tried to ambush him disturbed Akashi.

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the Titan had planned it out that way. But either way, it didn't matter. He suddenly changed direction and circled back.

Now facing the Titan, he closed the distance between them in an alarming speed. His lips twisted in a sneer as he drew his swords.

"I shall discipline you for disrespecting me."

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Imayoshi Shouichi watched with a calculating smile on his face as Daiki's retreating back grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

He had initially expressed distaste when his and Kasamatsu's squads were sent out – being the only two Survey Corps factions still within city limits during the start of the attack – with his temper gradually becoming worse on their way here as he mused over how suicidal the entire mission was.

Yet now, he was almost glad to be sent out – if not for the simple reason of seeing Aomine Daiki in battle.

Almost everyone in the upper ranks of the Legion had heard about the prodigies of this year's cream of the crop. Rumor has it that they rivaled those of last year – "The Crownless Generals" – as many have called them whom, interestingly enough, had all entered the Military Police and now oversaw all five factions of King's militia.

But despite all those talks and bets on which year was stronger, Imayoshi disagreed with them –for what he had just witnessed now went beyond the powers of a Crownless General.

Pushing up his glasses, he smirked slyly. His mind raced with future plans as he sensed an opportunity. And, like a snake that has now found its prey, he had no intention of letting this one slipped out his grasp.

He barely heard Wakamatsu complaining in the background as he schemed. Enraged that all the Titans had been killed by that 'selfish brat' – as he had put it – the blond threw his sword to the ground in fury while Sakurai tried to appease him.

Imayoshi sighed. His patience grew thin from listening to his tantrum. Turning to his squad, he fixed them a cold smile. Wakamatsu immediately straightened up, and Sakurai fidgeted. The rest of the squad stood at attention, and it was obvious that they all held great respect and fear for their commanding leader.

"Hey now, there's no need to be angry." He spread one arm out in a flourish – as if he was introducing a grand prize when, in actuality, he was displacing the destructive state of the District. "There's plenty of Titans left to kill."

As if inspired by his words, he suddenly leaped down from the rooftop. His dark green Survey Corps cloak flowed elegantly behind him.

A two meter class Titan was currently feeding on a dead human corpse five feet from him. It looked up from its tasks – part of a human leg still stuck out from its fat lips as it fixed Imayoshi a confused look.

The Touou squad leader smiled eerily.

"Don't be shy," he said as he drew his sword. A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes as he slowly approached the monster.

"Let's be friends."

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Akashi's body ached.

Sweat dripped from his forehead as his breathing came out in labored pants.

With each rise and fall of his chest, he felt a sharp sting of pain from his side. He winced when he touched the sore spot, but had quickly dispelled any thoughts of fractured ribs out of his mind for the time being.

He had more pressing concerns right now – namely, the Titan. It was too agile on its feet and, no matter what tactics he used, nothing had worked.

Ironically, it was he himself who now felt the pressure.

Hunched over in the middle of an abandoned road, Akashi breathed deeply while ignoring the burning sensations in his chest. A warm, sticky liquid oozed down from his forehead. He frowned – unfamiliar with this particular texture.

Touching it, the sticky substance coated his fingertips.

His eyes widened when the crimson color of his own blood came into his visual field.

_I'm…bleeding? _

He chuckled nervously.

The words had sounded foreign in his mind as he couldn't even recall the last time he had seen his own blood. Recollections of his early childhood flashed through his head without his consent, and he was suddenly pulled back into a specific memory from eleven years ago.

_He had been around four or five years old when he caught a rabbit living in their estate garden. With no other playmates to call his own, he planned on keeping the rabbit as a pet. But his father disagreed and, instead, asked him to bring the animal to him. In front of his own son, he slit the rabbit's throat – coloring the soft, white fur red as the blood trickled down – and he watched on with a cold expression. He threw the dead animal to the young redhead's feet, and droplets of the blood had splattered across the side of Akashi's face from the action._

"_To survival in this world, you have to be ruthless. You have to crush your competition because there is no room in this world for the weak or the merciful. This animal right here?" He kicked the rabbit as he spoke. "It was eating up our food." _

_He continued to study his son's shocked expression and sighed. Right before leaving, his father looked down at him with distaste in his cold eyes. _

"_Try not to disappoint me in the future." _

_As a form of punishment for almost wasting food, Akashi was order to stand in the garden until the end of dinner with only the dead rabbit to keep him company. He stared into the lifeless eyes of the animal. _

_The words of his father played over in his head. _

The thumps of the Deviant Titan's footsteps jarred Akashi from his memory. And, like eleven years ago, the echoes of his father's words now echoed in his head.

Ironically enough, this time he was helpless prey.

_My father was right. _

The thumps came closer.

_In this world, winning is everything. The winners live, and the losers die. To think that I, Akashi Seijuurou, will lose… _

His breath grew shallow as his thoughts drifted back to the dead rabbit.

…_it's unspeakable._

The Titan was now in sight. Droopy arms swung in front of its hunched body with each lethargic step, and Akashi clenched his fists. The blood on his hands smeared all over his palms as he seethed with anger. The monster was mocking him – acting as if it could not be bothered to move faster and was treating him as if he was already dead.

The noise inside his head grew louder.

The Titan was now five feet away.

"How dare you…?" he whispered – those lifeless eyes flashed through his mind again.

Only this time, it was not the rabbit's.

His breathing came out in hard pants as he saw his own dead eyes reflected back in his mind.

Something in him finally snapped, and the Titan immediately collapsed.

Falling down on its hands and knees, it roared in pain as it thrashed and struggled to stand. A sadistic pleasure bloomed from within Akashi's. Blood dripped from his blades as he walked closer to the kneeling beast.

Having severed through the Titan's Achilles Heels, he'll make sure that the monster would never walk again in its life.

He shot a wire to its neck and, perching himself on its thin nose, he stared straight the coal-black eyes of the demon. For a split second, something akin to fright passed through the beast's eyes.

Pleased, he sliced through the Titan's neck. The fear in the Titan's expression was still present when the body crashed onto the ground.

Bathed in the blood of his enemy, Akashi smiled.

All the noise in his head had finally quieted.

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The purple-haired teen sat crossed-legged on the ground as he tended to a particular nasty-looking bite wound on his shoulder. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and the corpse of his Titan lay ten feet away – already half decomposed as it steamed.

"Atsushi."

He turned when he heard Akashi's voice. His amethyst eyes trailed over the dried blood on the redhead's face and jacket – stopping intently on the latter's eyes for a few seconds before looking away. Rising to his full height, he responded to Akashi's wordless request. Together, the pair strolled at a leisure pace, unbothered by the fact that the world around them was burning in Hell.

"How are you feeling, Aka-chin?" He asked after a beat of a silence. The crimson-haired teen never faltered in his steps as he smiled. Amusement flickered in his red and orange eyes, barely hiding the bloodlust within.

"Better than ever."

Murasakibara glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

However, he said nothing in return.

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Satsuki tore her eyes away from the corpse.

Her father lay motionless three feet away. His spine was twisted at an odd angle, and dried blood and dirt caked his face and body. She blinked back tears – his frightened expression just moments before his death flashed through her mind, and it took everything in her not to collapse in grief at that moment.

_I'm so sorry. _

One of the Titans scooped up a corpse. Its thin, gangly fingers curled greedily around a blue-haired woman.

Her heart stopped.

_Auntie. _

Rage consumed her, and she threw herself at the Titan.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

She felt the sickening crunch of bones when her blade sliced cleanly through its arm. The corpse hit the ground with a thud and the Titan finally turned to face her – as if it had just noticed her presence right now. The other three Titans paid no attention to the confrontation between the two. They continued to dig through the debris for food.

Satsuki's breath came out in short pants – eyes widened as it began to walk towards her. Long, black hair framed its narrowed face and a sadistic smile twisted its thin lips. The wound on its arm hissed and steamed as new muscle fibers and tendons interwoven themselves with the old.

Swallowing down her fear, she gripped her blades and charged.

In a flash, she was behind the gangly Titan. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion when it failed to move. But just before her blade made contact with the Titan, the skin on the back of its neck hardened.

Her blade shattered into a million pieces upon impact.

And slowly, the Smiling Titan turned.

It bored its cold, black eyes into hers, and Satsuki felt a thousand icy fingers clawed at her throat.

She froze in her steps.

Her arms went slack.

Staring into the unforgiving, soulless eyes of the Titan, she felt like she was looking into the depths of Hell itself. Absolute fear gripped her. Her mind screamed at her to run but her feet remained planted on the ground.

Her breathing became labored, and the Titan began to reach for her.

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There was another explosion. A second shockwave reverberated throughout the half-destroyed District, and Daiki gritted his teeth.

_Shit, what now? _

Yet, he made no move to stop. The sound of wind continued to rush past his ears as he cut through the air – sparing no attention to whatever new development was occurring at Wall Maria.

Suddenly, a slight shadow casted over him, and Daiki looked up.

Dark green cloaks fluttered in the air – the blue and white colors of the Wings of Freedom displayed proudly on the back as eight Survey Corps members flew over him.

In the moment that their paths intersected, he gained a good look at the squad.

Leading the other seven was a stern-looking young man. Dark hair spiked on top of his head and his eyes blazed an intense concentration. A single blue character signifying the faction was stitched in at the side of his clock and, curious, Daiki kept his gaze locked on that spot until the kanji became visible for him to see.

_Kaijo. _

They cut their way towards the Wall – not paying the slightest attention to him as he turned his head to follow their movements. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening at Wall Maria.

The hole had gotten three times bigger and standing right in front of it were two new Titans.

Even from where Daiki was, he could tell that something was off about them.

Steam hissed out from the nostrils of one of the Titans – its entire body armored. It immediately crouched into a defensive position with the rapid approach of the Survey Corps. The other Titan – much smaller in size compared to the first but still huge in comparison to the other Titans around them – licked its lips as it sniffed the air. Suddenly, it separated itself from the Armored Titan and began to sprint southwards.

Alarms went off in everyone's mind when they realized that it was heading towards the ports where the civilians were still being evacuated.

The Survey Corps team immediately split itself in half. Four went after the second Titan while the remaining four (including the Squad Captain) continued to head straight for the Armored Titan.

Daiki looked away at this point. It was no longer his business.

Besides, he has his own problems right now.

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None of her hits were making its mark. Slashing and circling around the back, Satsuki looked for an opening. A tiny voice in her head nagged at her – telling her that she was missing a huge piece of the puzzle right now and that she needed _to look_. But, elusive like a ghost, it slipped out of her grasp each time she almost had it – as if the answer itself was made out of smoke.

The Smiling Titan deflected her attack again, and Satsuki cursed.

_Is this it? Is this the best I can do? _

The worried expression of her mother and father flashed through her head. Their words of concerns when she had first announced that she was joining the Training Corps came back to haunt her. And, while she had vehemently claimed that she would be fine at the time – annoyed that they were so doubtful of her abilities, Satsuki now understood that they weren't trying to demean her abilities, just like how Daiki wasn't trying to insult her earlier on the rooftop.

They care.

They all do.

And now, four out of five of the people she loved were dead.

Her heart clenched when Daiki's words echoed in her head.

_You'll be lucky if you even survive the year. _

Determination wielded up in her, renewing her with the desire to prove him wrong, to prove all of them wrong. She wanted for all of them to acknowledge that they have nothing to worry about. She wanted her parents to know that they hadn't died in vain trying to protect her.

And, as for Daiki, she could never be cruel enough to leave him alone to bury all the bodies.

The Titan roared in surprise when she finally landed a hit on the neck.

The blade began to cut through the skin and she increased the force – driving down the sword down to penetrate into the muscles. She put every single ounce of her love for her parents into this final attack – thinking back of every moment of concerns and care they had expressed for her.

An old memory resurfaced – the smiling face of a thirteen-year-old Dai-chan grinned at her.

_You and I are going to see the world together_ _one day,_ _Satsuki. I promised. _

The Smiling Titan froze, and Satsuki smiled faintly.

"I'm afraid I can't die here today. I have a promise to collect."

Finally, she pushed her sword down.

The blade shattered.

Time stood still as her breath got caught in her throat.

_What just happened? I had it! _

But before she could blink, the Titan turned and kicked her. Her body flew back several feet – stopping short when her back suddenly hit a broken piece of furniture as she groaned. She winced in pain. Sharp knives dug into her side as she clutched her stomach and suppressed the urge to vomit as nausea overcame her.

The Titan crouched down, but Satsuki couldn't even find the strength in her to stand.

Her heart hammered – wondering why her attack failed, wondering if this was truly her last moment.

The Titan leaped.

She could only watch – stupefied – as the claws approached.

A single tear dropped as her breath came to a stuttering halt.

She began to close her eyes.

The Titan extended an arm —

_I'm so sorry, Daiki. _

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—only to have its arm cut off at the last moment.

Before she could even make sense of what had just happened, Daiki threw her over his shoulder and dodged the swipes of an angered Titan. One of its arms steamed.

She looked up at him through tear-blurred eyes when he set her down some distance away.

But he didn't even spare her a glance.

A storm warred in his cobalt eyes.

And, in the center of his pupils, she saw electricity.

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**A/N:** So basically when I was editing this, I realized how nicely the timeline of my story coincide with how the anime was progressing – which basically motivated me to try to get this chapter out before the new episode aired. I barely made it, I think hahaha thank you so much for reading!


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